Shrek’s Mitchell In Talks for Chipmunks 3

Alvin and the Chipmunks are getting some help from Shrek Forever After director Mike Mitchell, who is in talks to make the third film in the popular series.

Mitchell, whose directing credits include the Disney superhero film Sky High and worked as a story artist on DreamWorks’ Shrek the Third and Monsters vs. Aliens, would take over the project 10 weeks before a scheduled production start, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Fox entered discussions with Mitchell after Betty Thomas, who directed the second film in the series, passed on making the third.

The first two films in the series, which combines live-action with CG-animated characters, have grossed more than $800 million worldwide.

The series is based on characters that were created by Ross Bagdasarian under the pen name of David Seville for the 1958 novelty tune The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late). The success of the song prompted several spin-offs, including multiple animated TV series.

The film — which may be made in stereoscopic 3D — is tentatively set for release in December 2011.